Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knights Book 5)

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Diverted from thoughts of the fair Caius, Lady de Wrenville looked at the covered shutters. “They must have been covered at some point last night,” she said. “They were not covered when I left you here, so Sir Caius must have done it while you were sleeping.”

  Emelisse looked at the windows in shock. “I slept through that?”

  Lady de Wrenville started giggling. “You were quite… exhausted.”

  Emelisse looked at her. Then, she started laughing, too, even though she was embarrassed. It felt good to laugh, even for a brief moment.

  “Aye, I was exhausted,” she said, her smile fading. “But now that it is morning and my head, though aching, is clearer, I will tell you that I am still very frightened. I am frightened that no one will be able to stop Marius from marrying me and when he does, he will use me against my brother. I am assuming there have been no changes since yesterday and my brother still holds the keep?”

  Lady de Wrenville’s smile faded also. “I have not heard anything to the contrary,” she said. “He must still be there.”

  Emelisse accepted that. In fact, she was glad to. It meant Hawkstone still had not completely fallen and as far as she was concerned, it never would, at least by her hand.

  “Good,” she said. “My brother is strong. He will not let Hawkstone fall while there is breath left in his body. Nor will I. I will take a dagger to my chest before I allow your husband or his son to use me against Hawkstone. If you do not tell them that, then I will. And this time, there will be no Sir Caius to save me. I will succeed.”

  Lady de Wrenville wasn’t sure this was a good subject to be on. She didn’t want to see the lady get worked up about something that was beyond her control. So much of it was beyond everyone’s control.

  “There is no use becoming upset about it now,” she said quietly. “Sir Caius and Wolverhampton will do their best to sway my husband. And if they cannot, there are… other alternatives.”

  Emelisse looked at her curiously. “What other alternatives could there be?”

  Lady de Wrenville averted her gaze as she stood up, going to the hearth to stoke the fire. That wasn’t the usual task of the Lady of the Castle, but she was looking to keep busy while she tried to put her thoughts into words. She, too, was trapped here at Winterhold with no hope of escape, but Emelisse…

  Perhaps there was hope for her.

  Lady de Wrenville didn’t want to see yet another woman forced into submission by Covington.

  “Mayhap I cannot speak to my husband about you and convince him not to wed you to his son, but there are other things I can do,” she said. “My parents are the lord and lady of Dudley Castle, to the south. It is a very big place. To the south of Dudley is a place called Haden Cross, a large fortified manse where my grandmother lives. It is a beautiful place, truly. Quite beautiful and well-guarded. My grandmother could always use another maid. Or, at least a lady who pretends to be one because she is hiding from Covington de Wrenville.”

  Emelisse’s eyes widened. “Me?” she gasped. “You would help me escape? I asked Sir Caius last night to help me and although he did not refuse me, his reputation would be at stake if he helped me escape. I truly do not expect him to help me. But… oh, my lady, if you could help me escape from here, I would be forever in your debt.”

  Lady de Wrenville’s smile was back and she patted Emelisse on the hand. “Finish eating,” she said. “We will speak of this later, but do not tell anyone. You must let me think on how it would be done so that neither of us is discovered in the plot. Winterhold is a vast and well-fortified place, so your escape would have to be done with great stealth and planning. Mayhap… mayhap I shall speak with Sir Caius about it. I do believe he is sympathetic to you, my dear. He may be able to advise us.”

  Emelisse thought about the big, handsome knight who had so ably restrained her. She had to admit that the thought of him made her feel the least bit flushed even if she had sworn to hate him.

  “He was not too keen on my jumping from a window,” she said. “He may not be too keen on my escape, either.”

  “There is only one way to find out. I shall ask him.”

  “Do you dare?”

  Lady de Wrenville looked at her. “My dear, I saw the way he looked at you last night,” she said. “I can see that he has a great deal of compassion for your plight. Mayhap he cannot help you escape alone, but if I were to help him… if he knew he had help, then mayhap he would be more willing to take the chance. He is my uncle’s knight, after all. I will remind him of that and the fact that Covington married me to gain The Marshal’s armies. I still have some power here.”

  Emelisse looked at her, seeing that she seemed rather ashamed now that she’d spoken without truly thinking about what she was saying. She’d revealed things she probably should not have revealed. Covington married me to gain The Marshal armies. That’s exactly what Emelisse had said when Caius told her of Alice de Gras’ true identity. But Emelisse found it particularly sad that Lady de Wrenville knew that, too.

  It occurred to her that Lady de Wrenville was perhaps as much a prisoner as she was. But it also occurred to her that, perhaps, Lady de Wrenville was looking for a way to get back at her husband – by helping his prized prisoner escape.

  A subtle, yet effective, revenge.

  With thoughts lingering on Lady de Wrenville, and on the black-eyed knight who had shown her such great regard, Emelisse resumed her meal with gusto, feeling her appetite return. Hope did amazing things to her heart and spirit.

  Hope that, soon, she would find her way out of this horrible plight.

  The knights’ quarters of Winterhold was full of men on this cold, bright morning.

  The tempest that had moved through the night before had dumped feet of snow on the ground, making the entire castle piled high with the stuff. When the snows stopped just before dawn, a small army of servants and soldiers had gone out into the baileys to shovel them out, and even now, they continued to shovel. Winterhold was so vast it would take them days to clear it all out.

  Without a cloud in the sky above, it was quite brisk on this morning as breath hung in the air and men dressed heavily against the white stuff that threatened to freeze them out. The common room of the knights’ quarters had a blazing fire in the hearth, warmed wine and bread on a small table, and all of The Marshal’s knights.

  Much had happened since last night.

  Caius had told them about his second encounter with Emelisse de Thorington, from the moment he told her about Covington’s intention to marry her to Marius to the last nail on the shutters to keep them from blowing apart. He painted a picture of a beaten young woman who’d had her entire life stripped from her, and to add insult to injury, now she was destined to marry the son of the man who had destroyed everything.

  No one blamed the woman for going temporarily insane as she had, and Edward had even more interesting things to say about Covington. As Caius finished his tale about Emelisse, Edward was already pouring himself his second cup of warmed wine.

  “Covington was a wealth of information last night after he became too drunk to care,” he said. “While you were in the keep wrestling with his lady prisoner, he was running amok at the mouth. Maxton heard him, too.”

  Standing near the hearth, holding his hands out over the flame to warm them, Maxton heard his name and Edward’s statement. He nodded as Caius looked over at him.

  “I did, indeed, hear him,” he said. “The snowstorm wasn’t the only thing billowing out copious amounts of wind last night. Covington was doing it quite ably to anyone who would listen, which turned out to be us because his knight, Chadlington, was nowhere to be found.”

  “He was with me,” Caius said. “We had a rather interesting chat as well. He told me that he is a legacy knight with de Wrenville and only serves him out of respect to that legacy, for his father and grandfather before him. He does not agree with his liege in the matter of Hawkstone and he made that very clear. When Covington ordered Lady Emelisse to t
he vault, it was Hallam and Lady de Wrenville who moved her to a room in the keep. Covington does not even know. And there is something else he does not know, so this information goes no further.”

  Everyone was looking at him curiously. “What is that?” Maxton asked.

  Caius lifted a dark eyebrow. “It would seem that Chadlington and Lady de Wrenville are carrying on a relationship behind Covington’s back,” he said. “I overheard them speaking to each other and it was quite affectionate. Whether or not that affair is consummated is no business of mine, but I thought it rather… interesting.”

  Edward snorted. “God,” he hissed. “What more are we going to discover about this place? As far as any clandestine affair between Lady de Wrenville and Chadlington is concerned, I am positive that even if Covington knew, he wouldn’t care. In his drunken state last night, he was quite clear that he married Alice de Gras for the military support she could provide. He called her a mule on more than one occasion, so I feel a good deal of pity for the woman. He has no concern nor affection for her. If she can find comfort with Chadlington, so be it.”

  “From what I have seen, she is kind and compassionate,” Caius said, thinking on what Emelisse had said. “She has gone out of her way to make Lady Emelisse feel comfortable and safe, and last night, she was even going to intervene on the lady’s behalf with her husband. Chadlington convinced her that it would not be in her best interests to do so.”

  Edward eyed him. “That is a good thing,” he said. “The man wants no interference in his plans for Hawkstone, and he made a point of telling me he would demand the army this morning. The weather is clear and he intends to finish off Hawkstone.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  Edward picked up his cup and downed the contents in two big swallows before speaking. “I sent a servant for him this morning,” he said. “I have summoned him here, to the knights’ quarters where we are all gathered. I intend to tell him that I am taking my army home, that Peter and Kevin are taking the de Lohr army home, and that you will remain with Pembroke troops but that you will not use them until The Marshal is fully updated on this situation and makes the decision to proceed. Cai, The Marshal has to know that this situation is far more than he was told. It would not be fair not to tell him that his niece married a bastard who just wants to use her. This may change the situation for him.”

  Caius was relieved to hear that. “Have you already sent someone with a missive for him?”

  Edward nodded. “While you were trying to keep Lady Emelisse from jumping out of a window, I was writing missives to William, to Christopher, and to Stephen de Lara,” he said. “I am also sending word to any other Marcher lord or local lord I can think of that is loyal to William Marshal. They must know not to answer any summons from de Wrenville until The Marshal can make a determination on how to proceed.”

  “What about the Earl of Chester, Ranulf de Blondeville?” Maxton asked. “You know he is loyal to John. Rumor has it when the king takes a shite, de Blondeville is there to wipe his arse. If we deny de Wrenville aid against Hawkstone, and de Wrenville seeks it from Chester, Hawkstone will not have a chance because I can guarantee that The Marshal will not want to go to war against Chester.”

  That was a sobering thought. The earldom of Chester was a large one, and a very old one, and Beeston Castle was to the north by about a day’s ride. Edward grunted softly.

  “I have been trying to ignore Chester’s proximity,” he said. “I do not wish to tangle with de Blondeville, though I’ve never had a problem with him. We have been peaceful, possibly because he knows my army is larger than his – and I can call upon most of the Marches as support, so he would be a fool to tangle with me. But there is the very real possibility that de Wrenville might try if he does not get what he wants from William Marshal.”

  Caius made his way over to the hearth, warming his hands just as Maxton was. The chamber was cold in spite of the bodies in it and the blazing fire. Edward had given them a good deal to think about with de Blondeville’s threat, or potential threat, but he was thinking of the lady up in the keep. That poor, battered woman he felt such pity for. He turned to Edward.

  “Lady Emelisse asked me to help her escape last night,” he said. “Given the circumstances, I will admit I considered it. It would be a simple thing to do and I am certain Chadlington and Lady de Wrenville would look the other way. You know that all de Wrenville wants to use Lady Emelisse for is to force her brother into submission. If Marius marries the woman, there is no telling what he’ll do to her. Truly, she is the victim in all of this, and I say that allowing her to escape is justice served.”

  Edward looked up from pouring himself more wine. “I cannot say that it is a terrible idea, because it is not,” he said. “I have thought about taking her into my custody, but I do not think de Wrenville would allow it. I would have a fight on my hands. But if she escapes…”

  “If she escapes, he has lost a bargaining tool in the surrender of Hawkstone,” Caius finished for him. Then, he looked to William, who was standing over by the door that led to the outer bailey. “Did you find any other escape routes in the keep last night? Did you poke around sufficiently?”

  William stepped forward. “I did, my lord,” he said. “I covered the keep from the very bottom to the very top.”

  “And?”

  “There is one door and one door only – the entry door.”

  “Did anyone see you nosing around?”

  William shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “But… well, I do not know if I should tell you what I saw and heard.”

  Edward was looking at him by this time. “What did you see?” he asked. “Speak up, lad.”

  William came away from the door, looking at Caius. “I saw Sir Hallam and Lady de Wrenville speaking in the entry,” he said. “They did not see me, as I had just come up the stairs from the storage vault on the ground level of the keep. They were speaking quietly before he took her into Lord de Wrenville’s solar and shut the door.”

  “And?” Caius asked.

  William looked around the room at the knights. They were all looking at him curiously and his cheeks began to flush as much as he tried to remain unflustered and neutral.

  “And if you have any question as to whether or not their affair has been consummated, I can tell you that it has,” he said. “I heard them in Lord de Wrenville’s solar.”

  Caius could see how embarrassed the lad was about it and he grinned, chuckling as he looked at Edward, who also started to laugh. Soon, the entire room was snorting at the idea of Hallam and Lady de Wrenville fornicating in her supercilious husband’s solar.

  “I hope they did it right on his table,” Maxton muttered. “I hope they smeared it all over anything he touches. I hope he smells their sweat the next time he sits down in his chair and wonders what that stench is. It is the stench of Hallam Chadlington fathering the next de Wrenville child.”

  The laughter grew. They were just starting to loosen up, to pour themselves more wine and take a few pieces of bread, when the door from the outer bailey flew open.

  Covington had arrived.

  The laughter stopped in an instant as Covington looked at the room full of powerful knights, his nostrils flaring with rage. Hallam was behind him, his expression suggesting they were all in for a verbal beating.

  Covington didn’t waste any time.

  “Why must I come down here?” Covington demanded, his focus moving to Edward. “I do not usually answer any summons in my own castle, de Wolfe. This had better be important.”

  Edward cocked a dark eyebrow. “Yet, here you are,” he said. “And you will address me as ‘my lord’, as I am your liege. Like it or not, you are my vassal and subservient to me. Now, sit down. This will not take long.”

  Properly rebuked, Covington stomped in, snow on his boots that scattered across the floor, melting. He plopped down in a chair across the small table from Edward as Hallam quietly closed the door to the knights’ quarters. He stood j
ust inside the door, next to the young squire who had just told everyone of the man’s indiscretions, as Edward’s intense gaze focused in on Covington.

  “Baron Darliston,” he said, using Covington’s formal title. “Nearly two months ago, you summoned an army from William Marshal to help you in your battle against Hawkstone Castle. That is why we have all come.”

  Covington lifted his eyebrows as if Edward’s statement was the most useless thing he’d ever heard.

  “I know that,” he said impatiently. “The weather has cleared and I have ordered Hallam to muster the armies and take them over to Hawkstone this morning. I also intend to send my prisoner with the army so she can tell her brother to surrender the keep. If he does not, I will slit her throat right in front of him. Her life for Hawkstone. That is the price.”

  My prisoner.

  Caius stiffened; he couldn’t help it. His entire body stiffened, and he looked at Covington as if to kill the man. He’d heard plenty of cold-hearted things in his lifetime. He’d even uttered a few. More than a few, actually, and he’d followed through on them. But this one involved Emelisse, an innocent in this situation.

  He was beginning to view Covington as the enemy, a dangerous perspective.

  Edward, however, was one step ahead of him.

  “Nay, Darliston, I am going to tell you the price,” he said, his jaw ticking faintly. “The price will be everything you hold dear, so I want you to listen very carefully to me. In the first place, you lied. You lied to The Marshal, to the king, and to all of us. The House of de Thorington does not support France. The only crime they are guilty of is being your neighbor, and the conflict between Winterhold and Hawkstone was the one you created with your greed, your malice, and your naked ambition. You simply want their lands, and mayhap the diamonds that were discovered there. Do not deny it because we have heard the tale from multiple sources.”

  Covington’s entire body began to tense up. Perhaps it was the truth, but there was no possibility he would admit to anything.